John Humffreys Parry

Caricature by John Humffreys Parry at the Vanity Fair on December 13, 1873

John Humffreys Parry (born January 24, 1816 in London , † January 10, 1880 ibid) was a British lawyer , librarian and from 1856 serjeant-at-law .

Life

John Humffreys Parry was born on January 24, 1816, the son of the antiquarian of the same name and his wife, a daughter of John Thomas of Llanfyllin.

Parry was married twice. His first wife, Margaret New, died on September 13, 1856. Parry later married Elizabeth Mead, the sister of the theologian and school principal Edwin Abbott Abbott , with whom he had two sons. Elizabeth died just a few hours before Parry herself on January 10, 1880 in the common house in Kensington (London) . Both spouses are said to have suffered from the effects of a defective sewage system, which is said to have worsened Parry's lung disease in particular. Parry was buried on January 15, 1880 at Brookwood Cemetery , Woking .

Tombstone of John Humffrey Parry at Brookwood Cemetery , Woking

Caricature of John Humffreys Parry at the Vanity Fair from the Welsh Portrait Collection of the National Library of Wales

Professional career

Commercial training and employment at the British Museum

Parry received a commercial education from the Philological School in Marylebone and briefly worked in the office of a London merchant. Since Parry was more interested in literature than commercial work, he took a temporary position in 1837 as an assistant in the library of the British Museum (today: British Library ). There he worked with Anthony Panizzi, John Winter Jones , Thomas Watts and Edward Edwards on the creation of a new library catalog.

Legal career

During his tenure at the British Museum, Parry also attended law classes at the Aldersgate Institution. When he was finally admitted to the bar in June 1843, Parry gave up his position at the British Museum.

Parry soon became known for his legal appearances at the Central Criminal Court and at the quarterly Middlesex Sessions. In June 1856 Parry was promoted to serjeant-at-law, which gave him a better position in civil court. Parry later represented various railway operators (notably London Railway, Brighton Railway and Coast Railway) in lawsuits involving severance payments for landowners.

In 1864, Parry received a so-called Patent of Precedence from Lord Westbury, which had been denied to him because of his position as serjeant-at-law by Lords Campbell and Chelmsford , and was elected to the presidency of the Middle Temple in November 1878 .

Publications (selection)

Lord Campbell's Libel Act. With an Introduction on the Law of Oral Slander . London: Sweet 1844.
A Letter on Feargus O'Connor, Esq. London: H. Hetherington 1843.

Individual evidence

↑ ^a ^b ^c ^d ^e ^f ^g ^h ⁱ ^j ^k ^l ^m ⁿ J. A. Hamilton, Henry Colin Gray Matthew: Parry, John Humffreys (1816–1880), serjeant-at-law . In: Henry Colin Gray Matthew (ed.): Oxford Dictionary of National Biography: from the earliest times to the year 2000 . tape 42 . Oxford University Press, Oxford 2004.
↑ ^a ^b ^c Robert Cowtan: Memories of the British Museum . Richard Bentley and Son, London 1872, p. 115 .

personal data
SURNAME	Parry, John Humffreys
BRIEF DESCRIPTION	British lawyer and librarian
DATE OF BIRTH	January 24, 1816
PLACE OF BIRTH	London
DATE OF DEATH	January 10, 1880
Place of death	London

[:0-1] ↑ ^a ^b ^c ^d ^e ^f ^g ^h ⁱ ^j ^k ^l ^m ⁿ J. A. Hamilton, Henry Colin Gray Matthew: Parry, John Humffreys (1816–1880), serjeant-at-law . In: Henry Colin Gray Matthew (ed.): Oxford Dictionary of National Biography: from the earliest times to the year 2000 . tape 42 . Oxford University Press, Oxford 2004.

[:1-2] Robert Cowtan: Memories of the British Museum . Richard Bentley and Son, London 1872, p. 115 .